Controversial Mental Health Screening Amendment OpposedAmendment Falls Short of Protecting Children from Labels

Texans for Safe Education | May 23, 2005
By John Breeding

Dr. John Breeding, president of Texans for Safe Education condemned a controversial mental health screening plan today. Tacked on to another bill in the Texas Senate, in the last days of the legislative session, the bill forwards President George Bush’s broad and intrusive mental health initiative calling for universal mental health screening beginning with America’s school children and encouraging screening of all citizens in all segments of our Nation’s health and human services programs.

As the Senate prepares to vote on House Bill 2572, an MHMR reorganization bill, advocate groups, concerned parents and others are outraged that broad language calling for mental health screening, in a variety of public assistance programs, and even in your own physician’s office has been amended onto the bill.

“This is not a humanitarian effort,” said Dr. John Breeding, President of Texans for Safe Education. “This is an industry’s attempt to garner unlimited clientele, unlimited funding.”

“Access to mental health services is certainly not a problem, it is estimated that over 9 million children in the U.S. are taking powerful psychotropic drugs,” Breeding said.